by Terri Osburn
Holding her nearly a foot off the ground, her soulmate flashed a sexy grin that rocked her to the core. “Is that a marriage proposal, Rheingold?”
“You bet your cute butt it is. What do you say?”
He lowered her to her feet as the grin faded into a look of wonder. “Yes, ma’am. The sooner the better.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Ash asked for the third time.
While changing into her performance dress, Jesse had rattled off the story of Dennis Kohlman and his evil threats from the day before.
“I told you. I was going to eventually.”
“After you caved to the asshole. What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking of you.”
Ash would have hated being dragged through a media frenzy, but he’d have done it if it meant keeping Jesse by his side. “I never would have let you go through with it.”
“None of that matters now.” There was a rustling sound before she said, “Okay, you can turn around.”
Jesse had forced him to keep his back to her while she’d changed, insisting that she wanted the dress to be a surprise. Ash spun around, and the breath left his body. Before him stood a tiny cloud of emerald-green perfection, and the image triggered a memory.
“Is that . . .”
She nodded. “The dress I wore to homecoming two months before the accident.” Glancing down, she twirled her hips, and the long skirt swayed around her legs. When she looked up, tears were in her eyes. “Tommy helped me pick it out, and it was the last dance we all attended together.”
Grabbing a tissue from the box on the counter, Ash dabbed at her cheeks. “You look even more beautiful than you did that day.”
Jesse took the tissue from his hand. “I had to have the waist expanded a little. I’m going carb-free after the holidays.”
Ash swept her into his arms. “You’re perfect just the way you are.” After kissing the tip of her nose, he said, “Were you really going to leave me?”
Slender fingers toyed with the button on his dress shirt. “I didn’t want to, but I would have to protect your privacy.” With an earnest expression, Jesse wrapped her arms around his torso. “There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you, Ash.”
“How about this. I walked away from you when I thought it was the right thing to do. And you almost walked away from me when you thought the same thing. Can we just agree here and now to never, ever walk away from each other again?”
“I can wholeheartedly agree to that.”
Their lips met, and Ash had barely had enough before a knock sounded at the door.
“Who is it?” Jesse called, making no move to step out of his embrace.
“Kathleen Shepherd. I’ve been told my son is in there.”
The pair stared at each other with a combination of shock and awe.
“Does she know we’re together?” Jesse whispered.
That was a call Ash had forgotten to make. “I’m guessing she does now.” Setting her away from him, he reached for the doorknob, but Jesse grabbed his arm and swiped at his mouth with her tissue.
“You have my lipstick all over you.” Ash grabbed a clean tissue and finished the job, giving a quick check in the mirror before turning to Jesse. “Better?”
She giggled and used her thumb to clean one more spot along his bottom lip. “Now you’re good.”
“What’s going on in there?” Mom called through the door.
“Nothing,” Ash said as he whisked the door open and found two people instead of one looming outside. “Who is this?” he asked of the older man with the dark mustache standing beside his mother. He looked like a cross between Sam Elliot and Ernest Tubb, and he was standing entirely too close to Ash’s mother.
“Neville O’Brien, meet my son, Ash Shepherd.”
The stranger extended a hand, and Ash accepted out of habit.
“Nice to meet you, son. Your mom has told me a lot about you.”
“Then you’re one up on me.” He turned to the statuesque woman who’d raised him. “You want to tell me something?”
Eyes that matched his own glared at the tiny woman behind him. “Do you want to tell me something? Why are you in here with the Rheingold girl?”
“You know her name, and you need to start using it since Jesse and I are getting married.” His new fiancée choked, and Ash knew he wasn’t handling this well, but the stranger in their midst was throwing him off. “Now who’s the guy?”
“I guess we’ve both been keeping a secret,” she replied. “Neville is my boyfriend. We’ve been together for a few months now, and I wanted him to see my boy at work.”
Ash had made sure his mother had two tickets to the show, but he’d expected her to bring one of the workers from the daycare center, not a boyfriend.
“A few months? When were you going to tell me?”
“The show starts in five,” called a stagehand down the hall. “All non-performers need to exit the backstage area now.”
“We have to go,” Mom said. “I’ll expect an explanation after the show.”
“That goes for both of us,” he said as Jesse pulled him farther into the room. “Did you see that? My mother has a boyfriend. Women her age do not have boyfriends.”
“Ash, she isn’t even fifty years old.”
“That’s no excuse.”
Sliding a loose lock off his forehead, Jesse said, “Maybe she’s as happy as we are. You want her to be happy, don’t you?”
Of course, he did. But that wasn’t the point. “She’s never needed a boyfriend before.”
Tugging on his lapels, she pulled him down for a quick kiss. “I love you, but you’re being unreasonable.”
Maybe he was, but his mother had never introduced him to a boyfriend before. She’d dated when he was younger, but she never brought the guys home, at least not when Ash had been there. Then again, he’d spent a lot of nights over at the Rheingold house as a kid.
“What if it was your mom showing off a new guy?”
“That would be uncomfortable considering she’s still married to my father, and they do everything together.” With a hand on his back, Jesse pushed him toward the doorway. “Go check on the kids before they think you got lost, and when this shindig is over, you can help me get out of this dress. Again,” she added with a grin.
Temporarily forgetting his mother’s revelation, Ash leaned down for one more kiss. “I can do that. Have I mentioned that you look beautiful?”
“Thank you. Now off you go.”
Ash ran a hand over her hip one last time before following the order. On his way to the kids, he muttered, “A boyfriend. That’s going to take some getting used to.”
Thirty-Two
At ten fifteen on a sunny Sunday morning two days before Christmas, Jesse stood before the Baptist church she’d attended for the first eighteen years of her life and reminded herself to breathe.
“Are you ready for this?” Ash asked, standing beside her in the same suit he’d worn for the Christmas taping.
Jesse took a deep breath and nodded. “As ready as I can be.”
Being forced to attend this service every year was by far the cruelest thing her parents ever did to her. And that was saying something, considering they’d actually forgotten her birthday. Twice. She and Ash had talked during their drive to Eton, and he’d supported Jesse’s decision to make this the last memorial she’d attend. At least the last depressing service planned by her mother.
From now on, Jesse would find a more positive way to celebrate her brother. To carry on his light and remember him for the vibrant life that he led, not the tragic way that he died.
With Ash’s hand in hers, they entered the church and found, as it was every year, a full house. Jesse had no doubt that most in attendance came out of obligation and likely dreaded the service as much as she did. She would encourage her parents to join her in planning a new, more uplifting event, but she held little hope that they’d actually do it.
As she and Ash ma
de their way down the aisle, a buzz ignited in the congregation. They all knew the details of that night, and that the Rheingolds held Ash fully responsible for the death of their son. Though making a scene was not Jesse’s intention, she was prepared for anything. Hopefully, her mother wouldn’t disrespect her son by throwing an unholy tantrum in the front pew.
Jesse slid in first, taking her place beside her father, and Ash sat next to her on the aisle. Daddy turned and kissed her on the cheek before offering a silent nod to the young man he’d practically raised. Mama ignored them both, keeping her eyes on the altar.
That brief nod from her father had been more than Jesse expected, and if that was the only recognition they got today, she would consider it a breakthrough.
The service started as it always did, with the same readings, the same songs—including her rendition of Amazing Grace—and the same somber tone. By the time they reached the end, every muscle in Jesse’s body vibrated with tension as the impending face-off grew closer. Though Enid Rheingold had maintained the sanctity of God’s holy house, she was unlikely to continue the good behavior outside of its doors.
As the final notes of the closing hymn echoed into the distance, Ash squeezed Jesse’s hand. “No matter what, we’re good.”
Yes, they were.
Jesse followed him from the pew and down the aisle as the attendees seemed to be holding their collective breath, waiting for the show that was sure to come. Once outside, sunlight warmed her skin, and she could feel Tommy hovering around her, giving her strength.
Turning back to the doors, Jesse expected to see her parents step through, but instead she watched every other person leave the church until only her parents remained inside. Was that how they were going to play this? Refuse to come out as long as she and Ash were there?
If that was the case, they were going to be inside for a long time, because this conversation was long past due, and Jesse had no plans to leave until they’d had it out.
“It’s good to see you,” said Pastor Beam, offering Jesse a caring hug. “And how are you, Ash? It’s been far too long since we’ve seen your face in these parts.”
The pastor was eighty if he was a day, and he’d presided over Tommy’s original funeral. Either he’d forgotten the details of the accident, or he was playing dumb to keep the peace.
“Mama and I both live in Nashville now, Pastor, so there isn’t much reason to come back.”
“Well, we miss you.” The older man turned to Jesse and leaned close to whisper, “She needs this. Good idea to give her a little push.” The pastor winked and moved on to another group standing close by.
“What did he say?” Ash asked.
“I think he’s suggesting that I shove my mother off her self-righteous cliff.”
Speaking of the obstinate woman, Enid finally exited the church, holding tight to her husband’s arm and giving a well-practiced performance as the grieving mother. Jesse wasn’t heartless and would never suggest that her mother should somehow get over the loss of her son. But this never-ending mourning wasn’t good for anyone, and a decade was long enough to wallow in her own misery.
“Hello, Mama,” Jesse said as her parents drew near.
Predictably, the woman in black ignored the greeting and continued past them as if Jesse and Ash were invisible, dragging her husband along like the lap dog he’d become.
What she’d forgotten was that her daughter could be as obstinate as she was. Jesse dropped Ash’s hand and stepped around him to cut off her mother’s path. “I said hello.”
“I’m not talking to you,” Mama muttered, refusing to make eye contact.
“So you’ll mourn the loss of one child, and then immediately toss the other away? You don’t see anything wrong with that?”
Having the decency to look uncomfortable, Mama murmured, “You’re making a scene.”
“Someone needs to,” Jesse replied. “Or we’ll all be going through this depressing ritual for another forty years.”
“Are you suggesting we forget that your brother ever existed?” she asked, literally clutching her pearls.
“I’m suggesting that you let him rest and stop forcing Pastor Beam to eulogize him year after year as if the accident just happened.” Jesse reached for Ash, and he stepped up beside her. “Look at this man, Mama. This is the boy who ate at our table. Who slept in our house and who loved Tommy as much as we did.” When her mother locked her eyes on the horizon, Jesse raised her voice. “Look at him. Because the longer you blame him for what happened, the longer you disrespect your son. Ash was Tommy’s best friend, and he would hate you for cutting him off the way you did.”
“I’m not going to listen to this.”
“Yes, you are,” her father said. “She’s right, Enid. We never should have blamed Ash.”
“He was driving!” she shrieked. “My Tommy is dead because of this boy, and I will not forgive him.”
“Enid Rheingold,” said Pastor Beam, “you’ve been coming to this church for more than fifty years, and now I know you haven’t been listening that entire time. You couldn’t possibly have heard God’s message and say a thing like that.”
Clinging to her bitterness, Mama shook her head, her gaze shifting from one onlooker to the next. “None of you know what it’s like to lose a child. I lost my boy.” She pointed to Ash. “He took him from me. He took my beautiful baby.”
“I lost my daughter to cancer when she was nine,” said a woman Jesse didn’t recognize.
“And my son died in a construction accident three years ago,” said Pete Dimwiddie. Jesse had been crushed when she’d heard that news. Jackson Dimwiddie had been sweet enough to take Jesse to their senior prom even though he’d known she was still pining for Ash. “Don’t tell us that we don’t know,” he continued. “A lot of us know, and we ain’t holding funerals every year.”
Unleashing an angry mob on her mother had not been Jesse’s plan, but there was no going back now.
“I don’t want you to forget him, Mama,” she said. “I just want to remember the good that he left behind. His smile. His laugh. The way he encouraged others to be better people.” Jesse slid her hand into Ash’s and pressed her cheek against his arm. “Tommy had a beautiful spirit, Mama. Let’s keep that going. Let’s turn on the light and pack the mourning clothes away for good.”
On the verge of tears, Enid Rheingold began to soften. “He did have a lovely smile.” Lip quivering, she whispered, “I miss him so much.”
“So do I,” Ash said, speaking for the first time. “I miss him every day, but I know he’s with me, and that makes the missing a little easier to live with.”
Tears falling freely now, Enid reached for Ash’s hand. “I was so jealous that you were still here and he wasn’t that I was relieved when you and your mother moved away. Then I didn’t have to see what I was missing out on. That wasn’t fair to you, but I couldn’t change how I felt.”
“It’s never too late,” the pastor said. “Why don’t we call this a life celebration instead of a memorial? There’s plenty of food waiting in the church hall, and I’m sure folks here have plenty of good stories they’d be willing to share about your young man.”
Accepting a handkerchief from her husband, Mama managed a hesitant smile. “I’d like to hear those stories.”
“Then we’re all set.”
Pastor Beam herded the crowd toward the hall entrance next door and to Jesse’s surprise, her mother tucked a hand around Ash’s arm and let him escort her into the celebration. Her father offered his own arm, and she accepted with a relieved sigh.
“You did good, Jesse.” He pressed a kiss against her temple. “Thank you for bringing her around.”
“I had a little help,” she said with a laugh.
Lowering his voice, he whispered, “I noticed a ring on your left hand there. Does that mean what I think it means?”
“Yes, it does. Do you think Mama noticed?”
“Not yet, but after today, I think she’ll be r
eady to celebrate that, too.”
Jesse sure hoped so.
The hall offered a completely different atmosphere than the melancholy one that had lingered in the church. People were smiling and laughing, and Enid Rheingold appeared to be at peace for the first time in far too long.
“That went better than we’d hoped,” Ash said, finding Jesse just inside the doors. “I’m proud of you for standing up to her, and I think everyone here is grateful to have the cloud lifted.”
“You know what I’m grateful for?” Jesse asked.
“What?”
“You.”
Hazel eyes held hers as Ash said, “Okay, then.”
Heart bursting, she repeated the vow. “Okay, then.”
I hope you enjoyed this latest installment in my Shooting Stars Series. If you’d like to leave an honest review on Amazon, your feedback would be most appreciated. You can hop directly to the book page by clicking here.
Other books by Terri Osburn:
All available in the Kindle Unlimited Program
Shooting Stars Series
Rising Star
Falling Star
Ardent Springs Series
His First And Last
Our Now And Forever
My One And Only
Her Hopes And Dreams
The Last In Love
Anchor Island Series
Meant To Be
Up To The Challenge
Home To Stay
More To Give
Don’t forget to preorder Terri’s first stand-alone novel coming March 5, 2019!
Ask Me To Stay